Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 6, 1 May 2008 — Kahanamoku wins culture award [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kahanamoku wins culture award

By Lisa Asatū Public lnfurmatiun Specialist Jo-Ann Kahanamoku was born with a famous last name, but the Tahiti native and Roosevelt

graduate has made her own mark on the Hawaiian eulture. Her feather creations have exhibited at Bishop M u s e u m , have been a

staple for the last 12 years at the Ritz-Carlton at Kapalua Maui's "Celebration of the Arts," and even senior pro golfer Hale Irwin is reportedly a fan, having bought a feather eape of hers at a gallery at

the Ritz-Carlton. "It's a challenge, you learn from it whether you succeeded or not so feather work heeame my greatest passion because it brought me into the culture far greater," said Kahanamoku, who was honored at a private ceremony April 24 with Duke's Waiktkl's 2008 Hookahiko Award, whieh recognizes achivements in perpetuating the culture. "It's a great honor to be recognized as a feather-maker," said Kahanamoku, who took up the art in 1980 at night class at Kamehameha Schools taught by Ethelreda Kahalewai. "I took her class and the first thing I made she looked at me, I looked at her, we didn't say a word. I said, 'OK, I'll take it apart,' " recalled Kahanamoku. Since then, she spent 15 years teaching others the art at Maui's Kaunoa Senior Center, where she

led her students on trips to Bishop Museum, Hilo and Tahiti, where she was born. She now lives in Kona and is cultural advisor to Kona Hospital Foundation, helping it realize its long-tenn goal of creating a School of Hawaiian Art for post-high school students in

North and West Hawai'i Island. Kahanamoku, nieee of surfing legend Duke and daughter of Sam, is also recognized as one of the longstanding female crewmembers of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, having sailed from 1977 to 1998 with her team to the Society

Islands, Tonga, New Zealand, Rapa Nui, Samoa, the Cook Islands and Hawai'i. In 1980 she was part of a 34-day sail from Hawai'i to Tahiti. She served on OHA's Native Hawaiian Historic Preservation Council from 1997 to 2000, including one year as chairwoman. □

MO'OMEHEU - CULĪURE

Jo-Ann Kahanamoku

Her feather eape hanging at the Bishop Museum, Jo-Ann Kahanamoku stands with, from left, The King Kamehameha Golf Club controller and chief financial officer Dwayne Wada and the club's director of golf operations and membership Rick Castillo. - Photo: Courtesy of īhe King Kamehameha Golf Ciub